How to increase Pokemon Storage in Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO is far from the game it used to be. Only originally hosting the original 151 creatures, the roster now has over 400 different Pocket Monsters for trainers to catch, train, collect, and trade. As such, there may come a time when players are faced with one of the game's shortcomings: a limit to storage space for both items and creatures.

With the catchable roster for Pokemon GO constantly expanding, trainers around the world may, at one point, need to expand the storage of their collection. While Niantic does give players a way to do this, some serious grinding is required if trainers want to do it for free.

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Everything to know about increasing collection capacity in Pokemon GO

Players will need to visit the in-game shop to expand their Pokemon storage in Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

To upgrade their storage, Pokemon GO players need to purchase the Pokemon Storage Upgrade device from the game's in-app store. This item can be purchased more than once and increases the storage of a player's profile by 50 every time. It costs 200 Pokecoins or around $2 USD.

The base Pokemon storage for every new profile is 300 creatures. Though this sounds like a lot, more creatures get added as Pokemon GO expands in size. While players could afford to keep almost two of the original 151 creatures at the title's launch, as the game ages, the upgrade to the storage menu becomes a necessity for active players.

However, some sly trainers may feel tempted to cheat the system and get their Pokemon storage upgrades for free. While definitely possible, the process of doing so is long, grating, and very time-consuming. This ultimately comes back to the topic of the game's premium currency: Pokecoins.

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How to obtain Pokecoins in Pokemon GO

Official artwork for Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

Pokecoins can be earned for free. However, the rate at which players can earn them leaves many to prefer buying them from the in-game shop.

Pokecoins are earned by defending gyms controlled by one of the three teams that players pick when they reach account level 10. Defending a gym that is controlled by a trainer's team can be done by approaching the spot and placing a Pokemon from one's collection inside.

Players can earn up to 50 free Pokecoins in a given day. While this sounds like a great rate at which trainers can get free currency, this quickly fades when looking closer at how these coins are earned.

One Pokecoin is earned for every 10 minutes a creature is defending a gym. With only one creature being allowed to defend a post per account, this means that a creature has to be guarding a gym for eight hours and 20 minutes before players get the full 50 free coins.

Pair this with the fact that other trainers will try to take control of that gym, and matters become much more complicated. For players in urban areas, it is not worth the strain to keep attempting to heal one Pokemon while it sits in a gym. It would save a lot of stress to simply spend the $2 to upgrade one's storage.